Chennai: Mark Boucher is carrying his boxing gloves, but the bout will be held back till after the series. Also, sledging will not leave cricket completely, ever.
That is what the South African wicketkeeper had, added to a sly wink, when asked about how and when sledging stops in the sport.
"We haven't got a briefing (from within the team) but we're all mature enough to realise what we can and cannot do," he says in a more sedate tone. "You talk about sledging, I don't think that's ever going to completely leave the game. You've got two very competitive sides playing for their country — it's always going to be there.
"Hopefully the series will be played in the right spirit of the game, I know that's what I'm going to do. It's going to be very competitive and that's what everyone wants to see. So long as everything is kept above board and played in the right spirit, there shouldn't be a problem," he stressed.
"You shouldn't overstep the mark. The match referees are going to look to make an example of things if you overstep the mark, especially with all the hype coming from the India-Australia series," he added. "Players will have to do things in a clever way to get that extra advantage but you don't want to lose this because it will take away the competitive streak."
Asked about how the South Africans would fare against India in the series, especially the spinners, Boucher was pragmatic.
"You have to find the right balance between attack and defence against the spinners. There are times when we have lacked the attacking approach against good spinners in these conditions. If the time arises maybe we will attack a bit more but for that you need get yourselves into a position in the game where you can do that."
A break at home was a bonus, Boucher believes. "Yeah, a couple of the guys have come from South Africa well rested. It wasn't so much of a physical rest but mentally it definitely helped. Now it's good to get back in the nets and hit and catch some balls. Staying at home and taking a break kept us mentally fresh."
Chennai promises to be a challenge. With lots of rain in the air, the normally sultry place promises to really try the players. "There’s a lot more humidity," Boucher says.
"It's going to take one or two days to get used to, but it's nothing that we haven't experienced before. Hopefully the ice baths will be working and the boys will lose a little weight on this tour.
"We don't worry too much about conditions anymore. We know that with the seam attack we have we're going to get wickets. We're very fortunate that we have a good spinner in Paul Harris who has done a good job. We're pretty confident that we've covered all our bases," he added.
Dale Steyn, one of the keys to the South African attack, maintains that his approach to the game would not change much, irrespective of who he’s playing against.
"Once you find the recipe for success it's best to stick to it," the tearaway bowler says. "So I won't be changing much. It's worked so far so hopefully I can take that form into this Test match and the whole tour.
"The Indians have a good side. We will do our video analysis and find the flaws and weaknesses in their batting and bowl accordingly. I'm not going to look at how good their batsmen are or at a particular batsman, I'm going to bowl to their weaknesses. I'll just take it one batter at a time," he adds.
"We have a job to do. Depending on the day, you could possibly get in 8-10 overs in a spell. But we'll be looking to keep it short and sharp and keep the bowlers fresh."
About his own side, Steyn says: "We've got some good players in the side that have toured the sub-continent a few times. Conditions haven't changed too much. I've toured with Polly (Shaun Pollock) in the past, there's Graeme (Smith) and we've got Boucher behind the stumps, who has kept to some of the best bowlers in different conditions.
"We all talk in the nets. The best people to speak to are probably the batsmen because they can tell you what the most difficult thing to face is. I'm privileged to have these experienced guys standing at slips or behind the wicket to me and they're shouting something to me in Afrikaans every ball.
So is he under any pressure to perform? "No pressure," says the bowler. "That's been the beautiful thing about the season so far. Graeme has never put me under any pressure. I've been given the ball to do a job and I've been fortunate enough to be able to do it. We've got Morne (Morkel), Makhaya (Ntini)... others who can take five-fors and bowl teams out and I get the freedom to run in and take wickets.
"I've been given the freedom in this series too, to run in and bowl sharp, short spells and hopefully I can carry my form into this series. But if not there are others who can do the job," he adds.
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